Lost Thread...was: Getting Things Printed at Kinkos

[HeadRusch]

Sorry this was part of another thread and I've lost it......I think my question was buried...

Q: Is getting decals printed on adhesive vinyl as simple as taking art down to kinkos and saying "print this on adhesive vinyl with these dimensions"....

Is there a place online I could do the same??  ie: Send them the art and have them print it up?

[anthony691]

Kinko's tends to be very inconsistant in price, quality, and capability. My Kinko's is expensive, moronic, and incompetant. Based off my experience I couldn't reccomend them. I know some people hav had good luck with them though.

[Cue-Ball]

I was planning on printing some of my artwork on vinyl but it was going to be MUCH more expensive that way.  And many Kinko's cant do anything on vinyl that has gradients or looks like a picture (they can only do blocks of color, like 2-color text signs).  Your particular Kinko's may be different, but this was my experience.

Kinkos DOES have a way to place your order online.  I haven't tried it yet, but will be doing so tonight.  If i can remember i'll dig up the business card i have with the info and will post it to this thread tonight.

EDIT: http://weborder.kinkos.com/ will let you send a document to any Kinkos in the world.  You should send your stuff in PDF format since that's the only way to guarantee that it will come out the same size that you saved it as.  Kinkos also has their own KFP file format, but it's really unnecessary unless you don't have a program that will save to PDF format.  I haven't tried this yet but will give it a shot tonight and see how the service works.

[TacoSmuggler]

I was planning on printing some of my artwork on vinyl but it was going to be MUCH more expensive that way.  And many Kinko's cant do anything on vinyl that has gradients or looks like a picture (they can only do blocks of color, like 2-color text signs).  Your particular Kinko's may be different, but this was my experience.

Kinkos DOES have a way to place your order online.  I haven't tried it yet, but will be doing so tonight.  If i can remember i'll dig up the business card i have with the info and will post it to this thread tonight.

EDIT: http://weborder.kinkos.com/ will let you send a document to any Kinkos in the world.  You should send your stuff in PDF format since that's the only way to guarantee that it will come out the same size that you saved it as.  Kinkos also has their own KFP file format, but it's really unnecessary unless you don't have a program that will save to PDF format.  I haven't tried this yet but will give it a shot tonight and see how the service works.

Are you sure you were in Kinko's???

I have to say that I have NEVER had any trouble with Kinko's. Also...their prices are always the same when I go...(Once or twice a week for the last 4 months)

Furthermore, I always have the images I want printed on a CD in JPG and BMP format. I have never used PDF.

A 27"x16" CP overlay on vinyl cost me $21. Not bad if you ask me. (BTW: It was a graphic of spiderman and venom..not some 2 color sign)

I dont know what 'Kinko's' some people go to....

[anthony691]

I was planning on printing some of my artwork on vinyl but it was going to be MUCH more expensive that way.  And many Kinko's cant do anything on vinyl that has gradients or looks like a picture (they can only do blocks of color, like 2-color text signs).  Your particular Kinko's may be different, but this was my experience.

Kinkos DOES have a way to place your order online.  I haven't tried it yet, but will be doing so tonight.  If i can remember i'll dig up the business card i have with the info and will post it to this thread tonight.

EDIT: http://weborder.kinkos.com/ will let you send a document to any Kinkos in the world.  You should send your stuff in PDF format since that's the only way to guarantee that it will come out the same size that you saved it as.  Kinkos also has their own KFP file format, but it's really unnecessary unless you don't have a program that will save to PDF format.  I haven't tried this yet but will give it a shot tonight and see how the service works.

Are you sure you were in Kinko's???

I have to say that I have NEVER had any trouble with Kinko's. Also...their prices are always the same when I go...(Once or twice a week for the last 4 months)

Furthermore, I always have the images I want printed on a CD in JPG and BMP format. I have never used PDF.

A 27"x16" CP overlay on vinyl cost me $21. Not bad if you ask me. (BTW: It was a graphic of spiderman and venom..not some 2 color sign)

I dont know what 'Kinko's' some people go to....

     Dude! They are ALL different! We have already established this. Some Kinko's won't even print characters like Spiderman, or any otherwise copyrighted material (in fact whoever printed it for you would lose thier job if thier bosses find out, and if thier bosses know without doing anything the may be SHUT DOWN!). When I went to my Kinko's last, they were completly INSANE! They wanted 43$ for a marquee printed on glossy paper! My brother worked there in high school, the prices vary regionaly and so does the competance/capability.

[Cue-Ball]

Are you sure you were in Kinko's???

I have to say that I have NEVER had any trouble with Kinko's. Also...their prices are always the same when I go...(Once or twice a week for the last 4 months)

Furthermore, I always have the images I want printed on a CD in JPG and BMP format. I have never used PDF.

A 27"x16" CP overlay on vinyl cost me $21. Not bad if you ask me. (BTW: It was a graphic of spiderman and venom..not some 2 color sign)

I dont know what 'Kinko's' some people go to....

Yes, i'm quite sure i'm going to Kinkos.  You just happen to be one of the lucky ones who hasn't had a bad experience.  Take a look on these boards and you'll find many a horror story about Kinkos.

In fact, just this weekend i tried to have my CP overlay printed at Kinkos.  They couldn't have screwed up more if they tried.  I went to the Kinkos nearest my house and the people working there said they could print my overlay but couldn't laminate it because they didn't know how to use the laminator!  They sent me to the Kinkos across town to get my project done.  I drove clear there to find out that they could print and laminate it, but that they could not use the matte laminate that i wanted because the only local Kinkos which had that type of laminate was the Crossroads store (the one i originally went to!).  So, i have one store that has what i need but the people are too incompetent to do the job.  Or i can go to the other store and get the work done but not in the fashion that i want.  Great choices.  I ended up waiting until the weekend was over so that someone would be in the first store and could do my job on matte laminate.  I resubmitted the print job to them and was called to come pick it up.  I got there and it was ALL WRONG!  The colors were not even remotely close to the file that i submitted.  So, they reprinted it again.  The 2nd printing had the colors right but had some spots on it.  I told them i'd live with the spots if they could just get me out of there before i turned old and grey.  Then, the proceeded to screw up the laminate on the 2nd printout!   So, they had to print it a THIRD TIME.  They finally got it right on the 3rd try.  And how much did it cost me to get my 39" x 16.25" image printed onto 20lb matte with laminate?  $58US!

And, yes, you must submit your images to my local Kinkos in either PDF format or Kinko's own proprietary format or else you will get a "conversion charge" of $10 to change your BMP/JPG/whatever into the format that they want it to be in.

Also, Kinko's can print on vinyl in one of two ways.  One way is using the HP color printer on a sheet of white vinyl (this is likely what you had done, Taco).  The other way is how they do signs which is layers of colored vinyl on top of one another.  The first way they can print pretty much whatever you want.  The second way they cannot print gradients and they have a limited selection of colors that can be used.

Again, this all varies from store to store.  YMMV and all that.

[Frostillicus]

/begin rant

I also have had many positive and negative dealings with kinkos.  The latest was yesterday afternoon, when I went to pick up a poster I had them print.  It looked completely wrong and most of the gradients were missing.  I gave them a PDF version 5.  They only have acrobat 4, so information was getting lost.  I even called them beforehand and asked what format - they wanted PDF.  If what they WANT is a PDF, WHY WOULDN'T THEY HAVE THE LATEST VERSION OF ACROBAT??  

Anyways, it was still readable, I could sort of use it,  so the guy sold it to me for half off, and I told him to use the illustrator file instead - they have illustrator 10 (but not acrobat 5!?)  He saved it as a PDF, opened that, and it looked fine.  He said "it just worked on my machine here" (I had previously created the PDF directly from Illustrator10 as well).  I looked at him and asked if he was actually this stupid - OF COURSE the illustrator PDF will look fine on his machine because all he has is Acrobat version 4 (meaning acrobat distiller version 4).  ARRGH!! the imcompetence was astounding.  He's making the new poster for half price, so in the end I'll just pay for one.  One of the kids had the gall to say it was my fault because I saved it as version 5.  I told him to go back to his copying, that I was talking to the manager - such attitude.

/end rant

Actually though, if the planets are aligned, the file is a PDF, you give them a proof (which I forgot to do in the above rant), and specifically state what size it is trimmed down, and the manager isn't color blind (this guy was, he told me - and he wasn't joking, either) I don't know how they could screw it all up.  But they find their ways - count on Kinko's to screw up the littlest things....  

[Cue-Ball]

A color blind manager at Kinko's....

Somehow, i'm not surprised.  

[TacoSmuggler]

Wow..I never realized how many problems people have had with kinko's.

(not to rub it in)

I resize my pic...save it as a BMP or JPG...copy onto CD...bring it to Kinko's...tell them the size and paper to use..and pick it up 8 hours later!

6 different CP's and Marquees printed out so far..never a problem!

Of course I only have gone to 1 Kinko's(ever) and it's the one that has a contract with NY state to print all their handbills.

[AceTKK]

I love hearing the Kinko's horror stories    I spent a year and a half working as a supervisor at CopyMax in Houston.  I had people come in literally every day complaining about Kinko's prices / ignorance / attitude.  

Folks you just cannot automatically assume that because Kinko's is a big, well-advertised printing company that their employees are any good.  The quality of work that comes out of any print shop is probably half due to the machines and half due to the operator.  Don't just drop off your job with directions and expect it to be done right.  Spend a few minutes talking with the person who will be doing the work for you.  Explain to them what your goals and concerns are and make sure they understand your instructions.  If the operator is a moron (or color-blind, sheesh   ) get out of there and try someplace else.  I guarantee there are other print shops in your area that can satisfy you.  Pick up a yellow pages and ask around.  These smaller shops stay in business because of their customer service and their expertise, not their advertising budgets.  I can offer several recommendations in the Houston area if anyone needs them.

-Ace-